System and method for constructing a carrier to interference matrix based on subscriber calls

ABSTRACT

A conventional wireless device constantly measures the signal strength of its server base station and the strength of signals from surrounding base stations for handoff purposes. The wireless device transmits this information to its serving base station, which discards the information a short time afterward, following handoff. The present system and method store the formerly discarded information in one of several existing network elements or in a separate computer system. This information is used to generate a carrier to interference ratio, which indicates the level of interference between station pairs, and to also generate a carrier to interference matrix, including identifying potential interference for each station pair. The frequency of occurrences during predetermined desired periods of time and the volume of traffic affected by each level of interference may also be calculated. This provides comprehensive, continuous, real-time information for wireless frequency planning.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/537,480 filed Jun. 29, 2012 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORCONSTRUCTING A CARRIER TO INTERFERENCE MATRIX BASED ON SUBSCRIBER CALLS”which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 8,233,907 filed Nov. 3, 2004entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING A CARRIER TO INTERFERENCEMATRIX BASED ON SUBSCRIBER CALLS” both of which are incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of frequency planning forwireless networks.

2. Description of the Related Art

As wireless subscribers travel, they are switched between differenttransmitter, or cell, sites. Each site may be divided into sectors, witheach sector served by one or more base stations located at thetransmitter site. A base station, or base transceiver station, comprisesan antenna and a radio transceiver at the cell site. In order toaccommodate as many users as possible, the base station is not inconstant contact with each wireless device operating in its range.Instead, when a wireless device enters the coverage area of a cell, itcontacts the server base station through a control channel. This controlchannel carries information between the wireless device and the serverbase station necessary for the wireless device to operate properly withthe server base station. When a user initiates a wireless operation, thewireless device instructs the server base station, through the controlchannel, that the device is attempting an operation. The server basestation then switches the wireless device to a traffic channel toconduct the operation.

As the wireless subscriber continues to travel, the wireless device mustswitch from one cell to another. This process is known as a handoff. Tofacilitate the handoff process, the wireless device constantly measuresthe control channel signal strength of the server base station, and thesignal strength of the signals from base stations serving adjacentsectors or located at neighboring towers, to determine which one willprovide the best service. The wireless device transmits these signalstrength measurements back to the server base station, which stores themeasurements to compute an average over a short period of time. In a GSMsystem, the data is transmitted once every 480 microseconds and in TDMAsystems once per second. As these data are transmitted so frequently andthe wireless subscriber may be moving rapidly, any data over ten secondsold is not useful for purposes of evaluating the need for a handoff andis constantly purged from the server base station shortly after receipt.

When neighboring sites or sectors are transmitting the same frequency(i.e., are co-channels), they may interfere with each other. To mitigatethis co-channel interference, cellular providers institute frequencyplanning. The carrier-to-interference (C/I) ratio is a measure of thestrength of the desired signal relative to that of interference signals.

To track the level of interference, it is standard to construct a matrixof C/I values for neighboring base stations. The frequency planners arethen able to use the data in this matrix to better adjust forinterfering frequencies. Several prior art methods of developing thismatrix are currently in use.

One method for creating the C/I matrix is often termed the “Listeningonly Control Channel” (the “LICC” or “Ericsson”) method. This methodentails measuring the control channel signal strength of the site inquestion. A LICC capability must be added for each site sector (usingotherwise valuable bandwidth). This method involves measuring the signalstrength of the uplink (the signal from the wireless device to thetower), and during the data collection period, the two traffic channelsassociated with the control channel must be blocked. When a useroriginates a call, a request is sent over the control channel to itsserver base station. It is the strength of this uplink signal that ismeasured.

There are a number of drawbacks to this method: (1) the only measurementmade is during the initial communication with the base station andbecause the data points collected are limited to those associated withoriginations, the geographical scope is limited; (2) the transceiveruses valuable bandwidth that thus cannot be used for normalcommunications; (3) cells for which most of the traffic involveshandoffs do not provide enough data points for the C/I matrix; and (4)the only measurement taken is on the uplink and therefore this approachdoes not actually measure the signal strength on the downlink, so that,as indicated above, only a limited number of data points are collectedas compared to the average call length.

A second method for collecting interference data is the “Drive Test”method. In this method, a color code identifies each base station byfrequency. A technician travels to various geographical locations andmeasures the signal strength at that location. The digital verificationcolor code identifies the base station transmitting each signal. Thetechnician measures all of the signals at each location and thestrongest signal should indicate the server station. Therefore, thematrix must be manually generated by entering the data collected foreach station by hand.

The first drawback of the “Drive Test” is that this method isgeographically limited. It will not be possible to take measurementsfrom within many buildings or on side streets, so the areas sampled willbe limited. Power control is in the downlink (tower to wireless device)direction, and the station will dynamically adjust power as necessary toensure transmittal. Therefore, the measurement may be of anintentionally low power signal. This test is expensive to implementbecause someone must be paid for the time of driving between sites totake measurements and entering the data. Also, changes in the topographyand signal propagation resulting from new buildings and other structuresrequire taking new measurements. The color code system only functions ifthere is a moderate level of interference. If two signals measured areboth strong, then it will be difficult to decode the color code, and thetechnician must manually turn the signals on and off at each basestation to test them and to determine which is likely causing theinterference.

A third method is called the “Predictive Method” and uses propagationmodels. Because each signal degrades as it propagates through the air,computer models may be used to determine where the signals mayinterfere. However, this method also suffers from several drawbacks.First, there is a high degree of error because there are no actualmeasurements. Second, the models do not take into account differences interrain or buildings. Third, any changes in the system require a newevaluation. Therefore, the model is inherently conservative in order totake into account the practical differences.

Because each of the three methods has a high cost in labor, orequipment, or both, there is a need for a system to inexpensivelycollect and process the necessary data for a C/I matrix.

Additionally, each of the prior methods accurately measures or predictsonly that interference relating to the geographical features existing atthe time the measurements are taken. It is desirable to have anautomatic process that continuously collects new data as new buildings,roads and highways are constructed. To the extent that the prior artmethods attempt to collect and measure actual data, these methodsrequire the use of extra equipment or the dedication of valuablebandwidth to the measuring process, rather than keeping the bandwidthavailable to service customers.

Further, none of the prior methods result in measurements thataccurately reflect the interference within the system during operationbecause the data is collected during a very small amount of time ascompared to the average length of a call, is limited in geographic scopebecause a technician is not able to access every possible location totake measurements, or has a high error rate because the method is basedon computer models, not actual circumstances.

Therefore, a system that uses current data and continuously monitors allcalls from any geographic location and collects data during the fullduration of these calls without using additional bandwidth would be verydesirable and useful. Desirably, such a system would collect accurateand complete real-time, actual-use data to create a more accurate anduseful C/I matrix and would thus enable the provider to better plan itsfrequency usage, thereby more effectively using available frequenciesand better serving its customers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the advantages thereof, the present invention solves the currentproblems associated with constructing a Carrier to Interference (C/I)matrix by establishing a new system and method for collecting andprocessing data resulting from actual customer calls. Further, in apreferred embodiment thereof, the system and method also calculatesvalues for the frequency of occurrence of interference in a givenmeasurement period and the volume of traffic affected (traffic weight)by the given magnitude of the interference.

The invention preferably uses existing network infrastructure andprocedures to provide signal strength data necessary to construct theC/I matrix. In this regard, wireless devices conventionally measure andtransmit to the base station, the signal strengths of the base stationand of nearby stations for use in determining whether handoff is needed.In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the signalstrength measurements, which are normally discarded, are collected andused to provide the source data.

According to one aspect thereof, the present invention uses themeasurements provided by each wireless device with respect to the signalstrength of its server base station and neighboring base stations. Thewireless device measures the signal strength of the downlink signal(i.e., the signal from the call tower to the wireless device from eachof these stations) and, in a preferred embodiment, transmits themeasurements back to the server base station. According to this aspectof the invention, these measurements are collected and used to determinethe magnitude of the C/I ratio (which is, as indicated above, a measureof the magnitude of the interference), the frequency of occurrence ofinterference of the given magnitude, and the traffic weight (andtherefore, the approximate number of customers) affected by thatinterference.

The system of the present invention is automated and is, therefore,substantially more efficient than some of the prior art systemsdiscussed above. Better statistical data is provided because thewireless device constantly takes signal strength measurements during acall. Also, because wireless devices are used everywhere and the signalstrength measurement is automatic, there are no geographic limitationson the measurements, as with other methods. Thus, an actual-use samplingof data is provided between wireless sites and sectors, something thatother methods cannot provide.

Further, the system and method of the present invention avoid the needto dedicate valuable bandwidth in obtaining the signal strengthmeasurements and are capable of processing the data so obtained usingautomated systems that reduce the time and expense normally associatedwith processing such data and creating a C/I matrix.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will be setforth in, or apparent from, the detailed description of preferredembodiments thereof which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the invention will be better understood by reference tothe following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art wireless network.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram depicting a plurality of prior arttransmission sites that may broadcast interfering signals.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a system in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention for constructing a C/Imatrix.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary C/I matrix generated by an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary storage table containing values calculated by anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a histogram generated by an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A system or method in accordance with the present invention may servevarious multi-technology wireless devices providing voice, data, video,or any other content. Further, the technologies employed may employ anytransmission method including digital, analog or a combination ofdigital and analog. Therefore, the term wireless device as understoodherein includes all devices capable of the wireless electroniccommunication of any type of data.

A system or method in accordance with the present invention may beimplemented with hardware, firmware, software or a combination thereof.Both information storage and computations may be accomplished through aninformation processor and a memory device. These may be located withinmultiple network elements comprising a data processor, including but notlimited to, a base station, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), a BaseStation Controller (BSC), an Operations Center (OC) or a separatesystem.

Referring now to the figures, wherein like numbers represent likeelements throughout, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network of wirelesstransmitters, denoted 101, which provide geographic coverage forwireless devices denoted 102. The transmitters 102 are interconnectedby, and communicate, either directly or indirectly, through, a MobileSwitching Center 103. For purposes of illustration only, GSM basestations are linked through a Base Station Controller to the MobileSwitching Center 103. TDMA base stations would be linked directly to theMobile Switching Center 103. The invention described herein iscompatible with, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, afully wireless system or a partially wireless system.

As FIG. 1 further illustrates, and as is well known, wireless devices102 communicate with and through wireless transmitters 101. The wirelessdevices 102 herein are equipped to communicate, with the proper networkprotocol, through the wireless transmitters 101 and, as explained below,to measure the signal strength of the transmissions from a number ofwireless transmitters 101.

FIG. 2 illustrates a network of three wireless transmitter sites 201.The transmitted signals from the sites are denoted 202. The coveragearea for each wireless transmitter 201 is denoted 203 and is illustratedas being, but is not limited to, a 360-degree region surrounding thecorresponding wireless transmitter 201. Each coverage area 203 may bedivided into a number of sectors, or divisions within the coverage area,denoted 205. When two or more wireless transmitters 201 operate on thesame frequency or operate in sectors 205 on the same frequency, suchoperation is herein termed “co-channel operation.”

Each wireless transmission site 201 may be associated with one or morebase stations 206. When a wireless device operates through a particulartransmission site 201, the device operates through a base station 206 atthe site. The base station in such an operation is herein termed theserver base station. A wireless device may also simultaneously receive asignal from another base station 206 in a different sector or located ata different neighboring transmission site 201. Such a signal isconsidered to be from what is herein termed a potentially interferingbase station. The number of base stations 206 at a wireless transmissionsite 201 defines the number of sectors 205 into which the coverage area203 for that site is divided, since each base station 206 serves onesector 205. By way of example, referring to FIG. 2, one base station 206may serve the entire geographic area 203 covered by a wirelesstransmission site 201 as indicated by the site 201 shown at the righthand portion of FIG. 2, or serve one or more sectors 205 within area203, as illustrated by the sites 201 shown at the center and left handportions of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary system or method according to onepreferred embodiment of the present invention. The system, which isgenerally denoted 300, includes a data storage device 304 for storingmeasurements of the strength of signals 301 received by the wirelessdevice 302 from a server base station and potentially interfering basestations. In the illustrated embodiment, the various signal strengthmeasurements are transmitted to the base station 303, and then to thedata storage device 304.

Periodically, the stored measurements from storage device 304 aresupplied or transmitted to a processor 305 which performs calculationsbased upon the signal strength measurements. These calculations are usedto produce at least one interference indicia, such as the C/I ratio butmay also produce other interference indicia. These calculations are alsoused to create a corresponding C/I matrix. The C/I matrix is transmittedto a C/I processor and data storage device 306 for storing the resultingmatrices for further evaluation.

The wireless device 302 continuously measures the strength of the signal301 from the server base station through which the device 201 isoperating as well as the strength of the signals 301 from the basestations of the neighboring sectors and transmission sites. The signalstrength measurements in this exemplary embodiment are logarithmicvalues corresponding to the measured strength of the signals 301.

In a preferred embodiment, data storage device 304 provides forlong-term storage of these signal strength measurements for signals 301from the server base station 303, and the signals 301 from each of thepotentially interfering base stations, each pair (i.e., the server basestation and the individual base station) being herein termed a basestation pair. The data storage device 304 may be located at any place inthe network system, including but not limited to, the base station, thebase station controller, the mobile switching center, the operationscenter, a stand alone apparatus connected to the wireless network, andthe like.

As mentioned above and indicated by block 305 a, the processor 305 willcalculate a C/I ratio for the given base station pair. This C/I ratioindicates the level of interference between the base station pair. Thecalculation is carried out by the processor 305 by dividing the valuefor strength of the signal 301 from server base station, herein termedthe carrier signal strength “C,” by the value for the strength of thesignal 301 from each potentially interfering base station, herein termedthe interference signal strength “I,”

Remembering that in this implementation each of the signal strengthvalues C and I is logarithmic, the calculation of the ratio between eachof the base station pairs involves subtracting the logarithmic value forthe signal from the interfering base station from the logarithmic valuefor the signal from the server base station 303. Thus, a C/I ratioindicating little interference will be a large number, a C/I ratioindicating substantial interference will be a low number approachingzero, and a C/I ratio indicating that the signal from the interferingstation is stronger than the server station 303 will be a negativenumber. These data sets will be available for each instance a wirelessdevice 302 measures the signal strengths for each base station pair. Thedata storage device 306 stores the data sets.

In a preferred embodiment, the processor 305 also sorts the calculatedC/I ratios according to magnitude ranges for the C/I ratio. For example,the number of calculated C/I ratios having a magnitude greater than 20are sorted separately in one range, as are those in other ranges, e.g.,between 9 and 10, 8 and 9, etc., down to those between 1 and zero andthose having a negative value. The data storage device 306 stores thenumber of instances that the calculated C/I ratios occur for each rangeof interest.

As indicated by block 305 b, in a preferred embodiment, the processor305 is also programmed to compute the value, as a percentage, of thefrequency of occurrences of a specified C/I ratio or over a selectedmeasurement period. The frequency of occurrence calculation for a givenC/I ratio is accomplished by dividing the number of occurrences of thespecific C/I ratio by the total number of measurements taken in thegiven time period for the same base station pair, and then multiplyingthe result by one hundred. This value corresponds to the frequency withwhich the particular C/I ratio magnitude occurs. Preferably, thiscalculated value for frequency of occurrence is also stored in the datastorage device 306.

As is also indicated by block 305 b, the processor 305 also maycalculate the volume of traffic, herein termed traffic weight, affectedby the particular C/I ratio magnitude. The traffic weight will becalculated by dividing the number of occurrences of the particular C/Iratio magnitude by the traffic weight constant for the particularwireless network protocol. In the illustrative example, this constant is1/3600 for TDMA, and 48/3600 for GSM. This calculation provides ameasurement of affected traffic weight expressed in Erlangs, the unitsof measurement for traffic weight. Preferably, these calculated valuesfor traffic weight are also stored in the data storage device 306. TheC/I matrix stored in the data storage device 306 may be accessed from aremote terminal 307.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an exemplary C/I matrix 400. Thecalculated data processed by the processor 305 and transmitted to dataprocessor and storage device 306 as depicted by the schematic of FIG. 3provides the information to generate matrix 400. Generally described,the matrix 400 is a two-dimensional plot of a listing of neighboring,and possibly interfering, base stations along the x- and y-axes. Oneaxis 401 contains a listing of the base stations (BS#X . . . BS#n) asused as server stations. The other axis 402 includes the same listing ofbase stations (BS#X, . . . BS#n) when interfering with the server basestations. Matrix 400 is of the type used in the wireless industry as afrequency planning tool and typically contains the C/I ratio magnitudesbetween multiple base station pairs. The C/I ratio magnitude for thebase station pair represents the corresponding interference, andtherefore, potential subscriber problems, created by the base stationpair, and is typically used to determine which base station pairs shouldnot be co-channels. The cells in the C/I matrix 400 according to thisembodiment may contain specific calculated C/I values but the cells alsomay contain links either to tables that have been generated or specificvalues derived from the tables so generated.

Referring to FIG. 5, a table 500 is provided, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the invention which lists three importantparameters that are useful in frequency planning. These parameters aspresented as a function of the desired ranges to be evaluated, indicatedat 501, as shown, comprise the number of instances of C/I ratiomagnitudes in a certain range, indicated at 502, the frequency ofoccurrences associated with each range of those C/I ratio magnitudes,indicated at 503, and the traffic weight affected by each range of C/Iratio magnitudes, corresponding to each specific base station pair,indicated at 504. As described above, in one embodiment, a tablecorresponding to table 500 occupies, referring to FIG. 4, one cell 403of the C/I matrix 400 corresponding to the base station pair.

The table 500 is created by a processor, such as processor 405 of FIG.2, that sorts the information by the C/I ratio magnitude ranges 501.Bins or cells 505, each corresponding to a specified C/I ratio magnituderange 501, are incremented by one for each instance that a C/I ratiomagnitude is determined for the given range. Similarly, the table 500also provides the frequency of occurrences indicated at 503, for a givenC/I ratio magnitude of the corresponding range, in one bin or cell ofthe bins or cells 506 corresponding to the different frequency ranges,as well as the traffic weight, indicated at 504, affected by a given C/Iratio magnitude for the measurement period in a bin or cell of the binsof cells 507 corresponding to these different frequency ranges.

Thus, for each base station pair, actual data for a current measurementperiod is collected and analyzed to determine the number of occurrencesof a C/I ratio magnitude, the frequency of such occurrences, and thevolume, or traffic weight, affected by the occurrences.

Referring to FIG. 6, in accordance with a further aspect of theinvention, a further output is provided in the form of a histogram foreach given base station pair. The ordinate or y-axis represents thenumber of occurrences of C/I ratios over a measurement period, asindicated at 601. The abscissa or x-axis represents the C/I ratiomagnitudes, as indicated at 602. The result is a tabular representationof which ratio magnitudes occurred most. Also provided are arepresentation of the frequency of occurrence of a given C/I ratiomagnitude range, as indicated at 604, and of the traffic weight affectedby the given magnitude, as indicated at 605.

In one preferred embodiment, a Radio Network Management Server (RNM) isemployed in carrying out the method of the invention. The RNM is astandard sub-system in the wireless network that conventionally collectsvarious data for active cells including downlink serving signal strengthfrequencies (these being generally considered as the channels assignedto the neighbor cell sections). In accordance with this embodiment, theRNM would be configured to collect channel quality messages from everyactive cell on the associated MSC. Preferably, some channels would beadded to in the neighbor list of each cell sector which would allow thewireless devices (mobiles) to perform downlink measurements on thesefrequencies. The channels are selected so that they help determine thelevel of interference from specific cell sectors.

Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit and theprinciples of the invention. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andthe present invention and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a systemcomprising a processor, signals from wireless antennas on a commonfrequency of a control channel associated with a station pair, whereinthe wireless antennas comprise base station devices that provide serviceto different network sectors, and information associated with thesignals is stored in a data structure having a number of entries thatcorresponds to a number of occurrences of an interference parameterwithin a selected range for the station pair; determining, by thesystem, a number of carrier-to-interference occurrences for the stationpair; determining, by the system, a relative percentage for the numberof occurrences of the interference parameter; measuring, by the system,during the measurement period, relative signal strengths with respect tocontrol channel signals transmitted by the wireless antennas; anddetermining, by the system, traffic weights for a subset of the numberof occurrences of the interference parameter within the measurementperiod.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring, by thesystem, a call for the station pair in a network sector by measuring asignal multiple times during the call to obtain actual use sampling ofdata for the call during a measurement period.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: approximating, by the system, a number of customersaffected by a determined magnitude of interference for the station pair.4. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating, by the system,a percentage of the occurrences of the interference parameter within themeasurement period.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingidentifying, by the system, signal strength measurements used to switchprimary communications between network sectors.
 6. The method of claim5, further comprising storing, by the system, the signal strengthmeasurements used to switch primary communications between networksectors in response to the identifying.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising determining, by the system, relative signal strengthswith respect to control channel signals transmitted by the wirelesstransmitters.
 8. A system, comprising: a memory to store computerexecutable instructions; and a processor, coupled to the memory, whichfacilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to performoperations, comprising: receiving transmissions from wirelesstransmitters on a frequency of a control channel associated with astation pair, wherein the wireless transmitters comprise base stationdevices that provide service to different network sectors, and thetransmissions are stored with a number incrementable by a number ofoccurrences associated with an interference parameter within a selectedrange for the station pair; determining a number ofcarrier-to-interference occurrences for the station pair; determining arelative percentage for the number of occurrences that are associatedwith the interference parameter during a measurement period; performingrelative signal strength measurements during the measurement period withrespect to control channel signals transmitted by wireless transmittersassociated with the station pair; and determining traffic weights for asubset of the number of occurrences of the interference parameter withinthe measurement period.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operationsfurther comprise constructing a carrier-to-interference matrix.
 10. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring acall for the station pair in the network sector by repeatedly measuringa signal strength of a signal associated with the call and obtainingactual use samples of data for the call during the measurement period.11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further compriseapproximating a number of customers affected by a determined magnitudeof interference for the station pair.
 12. The system of claim 8, whereinthe operations further comprise determining traffic weights for theoccurrences of the interference parameter within the measurement period.13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further compriseidentifying and storing signal strength measurements used to switchprimary communications between network sectors.
 14. The system of claim8, wherein the wireless transmitters associated with the station paircomprise base station devices that provide service to network sectorsthat are different.
 15. The system of claim 8, wherein the operationsfurther comprise determining signal strengths with respect to controlchannel signals transmitted by the wireless transmitters.
 16. A tangiblecomputer readable storage device comprising computer-executableinstructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing devicecomprising a processor to perform operations, comprising: receivingtransmissions from wireless transmitters on a common frequency of acontrol channel associated with a station pair, wherein the wirelesstransmitters are cellular base station devices that provide service todifferent network sectors, wherein the transmissions are stored in atable having a number incrementable by a number of occurrences of aninterference parameter within a selected range for the station pair;determining a number of carrier-to-interference occurrences for thestation pair; determining a relative percentage for the number ofoccurrences; measuring during a measurement period, relative signalstrengths with respect to control channel signals transmitted by thewireless antennas; and determining traffic weights for a subset of thenumber of occurrences of the interference parameter within themeasurement period.
 17. The tangible computer readable storage device ofclaim 16, wherein the operations further comprise identifying andstoring signal strength measurements for switching primarycommunications between network sectors.
 18. The tangible computerreadable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations furthercomprise analyzing the signal strength measurements to determine theinterference parameter.
 19. The tangible computer readable storagedevice of claim 16, wherein the operations further compriseapproximating a number of customers affected by a determined magnitudeof interference for the station pair.
 20. The tangible computer readablestorage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprisemonitoring a call for the station pair in a network sector and obtainingactual use samples of data by multiply measuring signal strengths of asignal associated with the call during the measurement period.